O Starry Night
by TheArchein
Summary: In the world of Pokémon, rumor has it that a mythical artifact, The Star of the North, is hidden somewhere in ancient Ruins. A quest ensues to find this professed treasure. With Bisharp, Garchomp, and Gengar leading the way, read as three groups of Pokémon go about their Christmas quest to retrieve the fabled Star!
1. Preface

O Starry Night

Chapter 1: It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

Chapter 2: O Come, All ye Faithful

Chapter 3: O Little Town of Bethlehem

Chapter 4: We Three Kings

Chapter 5: Down in Yon Forest

Chapter 6: Silent Night

Chapter 7: I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In

 _The East_

 _The North_

 _The West_

Chapter 8: In the Heavens a Bright Star Shone

Chapter 9: The First Noël


	2. Chapter 1

O Starry Night

 _Disclaimer: All the characters and places in this story are made up and not reflective of actual people and places. Many of these characters have been inspired by characters belonging to others; no offense is designed to be given to anyone or anything. Pokémon does not belong to me—all rights reserved to the Pokémon Corporation_ _® and Nintendo ®_

Chapter 1: It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

The 18th of December. Winter had begun its course in this world inhabited solely by Pokemon, free from the grasps of humanity and the realm of man. Fresh snow was falling upon the Hoenn grounds, the leaves of autumn's trees having been plucked off by the blowing winds, only to be replaced by layers of snow on the whitened branches.

The Pokémon of the wild did their normal routines; the majority of Flying-types had migrated towards the southern regions of Hoenn to escape blanket of cold weather that now besieged the region, while many others sought refuge in dens and caves. The urban dwelling Pokémon of organized towns and villages, in contrast, took to their homes, continuing business while their nature-dwelling brethren hibernated. And no other place exemplified such a difference than the Pokemon Mansion, an enormous structure housing Pokemon from all different regions of the world, a domain where all were free to reside in.

The Mansion lay a few kilometers from a nearby city, housed in a vast clearing within a seemingly endless forest. The Mansion itself held a decent amount of ground; its sheer size befuddled passerbys and newcomers, the structure bearing more resemblance to the most grandiose of palaces if anything else. Within the Mansion resided the splendors of modern buildings: heat, lighting, electricity, all was available in the seemingly remote area, a pleasure to those who decided to call the manor a home. One such Pokémon, standing now at the entrance, looking out into the white world that surrounded him, was a Garchomp, a caretaker of the Mansion.

He had a decent frame for a Garchomp—he was not the largest of the strongest, but his structure was impressive nonetheless. He was young; in human years, he was around his mid-twenties, full of life and energy. He scratched the back of his head, mulling over in his thoughts as the snow rested itself upon his shark-like form. _"Time so soon for Christmas?"_ the Garchomp thought, his breath visible in a misty form as it emanated from his mouth _"Well, then the Mansion has to be worked on…This has to be the best Christmas we've had yet"_ he mentally exclaimed, a determined gaze written upon his face, his arms folded behind his back. He turned around, opening the large, sturdy doors of the Mansion, and casually made his way back inside.

Upon entering back in, the Garchomp was immediately greeted by the site of a Lycanroc and a Haxorus, the two seemingly having taken a stroll in the outside premises of the Mansion. The Lycanroc shook her body around, the droplets of melted snow flying here and there, giving a snicker as the elder Haxorus complained of the cold weather tiring his joints. The Garchomp carried on, passing underneath two overarching staircases, each leading to the opposite ends of the Mansion. A few meters forwards, still within the foyer area of the Mansion, the Garchomp passed by a Bayleef and a Furret resting next to a large fountain, both seemingly entranced by the stream of water erupting from the fountain's mouth. The Garchomp snickered, moving on along.

Reaching two sets of doors, Garchomp kept to his right, opening the wooden, ornate doors with a solid push. In front of him resided the bar of the Mansion, counter to the café area. Behind the counter of the small pub, Typhlosion rubbed down a beer glass, his shoulder leaning against the countertop. A Feraligatr sat himself in the stool in front of the Fire-type, pushing away the advances of a curious Totodile. The Typhlosion rolled his eyes, giving a small wave to the passing Garchomp. Waving back, Garchomp turned over to see one of the café tables occupied by a group of Pokemon. A Serperior, a Mincinno, a Glaceon, and a Lucario took their seats, one across another, and seemed to be speaking about the politics of the region. The Lucario seemed to express his opinion on how limited the politics of the region should remain, while the Serperior retorted with a counter opinion of his own. Garchomp found the conversation quite bemusing, the thought of politics not quite stroking the minds of normal, everyday Pokemon. The group smiled happily as they saw the Dragon-type pass them, each giving an individual wave to him.

His trek continued, encroaching upon an enormous flight of stairs, the steps covered with soft, silken carpet. Step by step the Garchomp made his way up, veering rightwards as he reached the end of his climb. Room after room Garchomp passed, peering in to one that was opened part way.

Inside sat an Espeon and a Ninetails, the two in front of a TV screen and video game console, as a curious Goodra watched them. The Goodra turned at the site of Garchomp, giving a smile and waving to him. "Hello Garchomp!" she chimed to him, giving a wave "Ninetails and Espeon here were figuring out this device. Apparently Ninetails is having a bit of issues" she mentioned, looking back over to the two. "No, no, see it's simple" Ninetails grumbled, padding the controller with one of his paws, the buttons mushing together. Espeon looked at him with a gaze of annoyance, his psychic abilities removing the controller from the other's grasp, far more easily capable of manipulating the buttons on the device.

The Ninetails tisked, then turned to look at Garchomp, speaking out to the other. "Ah, Garchomp" he began "We have a meeting in a few, Raichu wished for us all in the Mansion to be present." "Is that so?" responded back the Garchomp, a bit confused for what was the possible meaning behind the meeting. "I have not a clue" answered the Ninetails, turning back to try and retrieve back the controller, convinced he could play the game properly. With a nod of the head, Garchomp backed himself out, continuing on his way down the hall.

The Garchomp finally reached his destination; a well-furnished, extravagant communal room gave off increasingly louder and louder noises. Garchomp peered in to see quite the scene—some twenty-odd Pokemon were sitting in front of an enormous television screen, all seemingly captivated by an ongoing football match. At the front appeared quite the jumpy Bisharp, standing crouched as he held his arms close to his mouth. Next to him sat an Infernape, fists clenched, and behind them an overlooking Gallade.

A female Garchomp sat right by the eager Bisharp, a furrow on her brow as she watched the screen. Garchomp listened in from the sill of the door to the ongoing match, catching the words of the ecstatic announcer; _"He's got the ball, kicking it downfield, now to Kabutops, Kabutops in the penalty area, he takes the shOT—GOOAALLLLL!"_ screamed the announcer. In a simultaneous motion, Bisharp, accompanied by a number of others in the crowd of Pokémon, jumped up and shouted in glee, quite the opposite emotion befalling the rest of the Pokémon watching.

The Bisharp bounced up and down, near the point of tears, cheers filling the room. He looked over at the Infernape, sticking his tongue out, and taunted him whole-heartedly; "In your FACE!" he jeered. "'Oh they'll never win'" he mocked, pointing at the television, the Infernape standing up and growling at the other and responding with "If you hadn't paid the REF, maybe the game would have been fair!" The female Garchomp, sitting next to the Bisharp, sighed and pushed the two apart. "Enough" she spoke out sternly, the Infernape and Bisharp still glaring each other down, before turning away from one another. She looked over to the Bisharp, and slyly lowered one of her claws to the Bisharp's level, the Bisharp giving an overjoyed look and low-fiving in return.

Garchomp entered into the room, the crowd of Pokémon mingling amongst them about the game's end, a number turning to him to give a wave or say hello. He approached the front of the room, talking a place next to Bisharp and the others, Bisharp still fixated on the match. "And then last minute! Last. Minute. With one of the best shots of the season! I mean—" he stopped, turning his head to see the Garchomp approach them, giving a wave "Hey Garchomp! How's it been? You see the match? Tell me you saw!" he stated joyfully, receiving a kick on the side by Infernape, responding out with an "Ow". Garchomp smiled, giving out a small chuckle "Yes, yes, was quite the finish. How've you all been?" he stated, looking from his fellow Garchomp, to the smug Bisharp, the irritated Infernape, and the relaxed Gallade. "Decent enough, trying to get through all this snow" responded the fellow Garchomp to him, "And, well, _this_ guy's unceasing bragging" she stated, jabbing at the Bisharp.

Garchomp laughed at her remark, giving them all a smile "Well, it is always good to be happy in company, I'm glad you are all doing wonderfully!" he stated with a smile, standing up. The Infernape, tired out of the Bisharp's blabbering, went over to sit with a Scrafty, talking to her and a fellow Samurott. The two girls looked over from where he came, saw Garchomp had entered the room, and gave a smile and waved to him. The Garchomp waved back, then returned to the remaining three Pokémon. "Hey, have you guys heard about the meeting?" Garchomp asked, looking from one to the other. "Meeting?" responded Gallade, "About what?" continued Bisharp. The female Garchomp nodded her head in response to Garchomp's question. "Yeah" she started "It's supposed to be about some big event or something, nobody knows the full details yet. Supposed to be in like a few minutes" she stated, looking over at a nearby clock.

A number of minutes passed, the Pokémon of the communal room intermingling amongst themselves, when a noticeable, echoing bell chimed, the sound heard throughout the Mansion. The Garchomp stood himself up, exclaiming out "Ah! There it is, I guess off to the meeting room we all go" he stated, exiting out of the communal accompanied by the rest of the Pokémon.

While entering closer to the room designated for meetings and discussions, the Garchomp gazed upon a stream of other Pokémon entering into the vast room. Garchomp made his way towards the front of around a hundred or so other Pokémon, accompanied by the female Garchomp, Ninetails, and an Eevee. The large group of Pokémon crowded around the podium at the front of the room, mingling amongst themselves, until a Raichu made her way up to and on the podium, coughing a few times as she tapped the microphone. Silence filled the room as she opened her mouth.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: O Come, All ye Faithful

"Hello my friends! I hope the winter hasn't been too tough on you all" Raichu spoke, receiving a comic mix of groans and jokes. She smiled and continued on. "I thank you all for coming. I've gathered you all here today to speak about something extremely important. As Christmas is approaching, I've been planning on making this year's one of the best ever!" she proclaimed, to the pleasure of the crowd. She nodded, giving a look towards the others "But there is one thing that is vital to this Christmas. For the Christmas tree we place every year on the foyer, the shining gem of our Mansion, there is a star for the top we must find. But this is no ordinary star" she voiced, to the questioning sounds of the crowd.

"This year, I am organizing an expedition group of a few of you to go and find the Star of The North" she finally acclaimed, the volume of the room immediately increasing in sound. "Star of The North, what is she going on about?" remarked a Flareon, a Mismagius returning a similar look of confusion with an "I don't know" to him. The crowd mumbled on, before Garchomp spoke out to Raichu, expressing the thought that was on everyone's mind; "Miss Raichu, could you perhaps tell us what this 'Star' is?" he stated, receiving a nod in return from her.

"Listen closely all" she spoke, the volume returning down to a silence. She looked out across the crowd, giving a small breath. "Around 100 years ago, when my grandparents established this Mansion, their curiosity in ancient artifacts led them on an expedition to the Ruins of The North to search for a fabled gold star, an artifact said to repose in the deepest chasms of those ruins, belonging to a millennial-old civilization of Pokémon, now gone from that area."

"Unfortunately, they returned empty-handed and distraught, the ruins proving extremely exhausting in their search. They spoke little about the journey, but remained convinced that the Star was true. This expedition will set out to find the Star, said to preside only with those clean of heart, as homage to the love we've grown for one another, and the happiness we've shared between us—not only with us, but all the Pokémon of this region" she declared, sounds of sparked curiosity and excitement filling the room.

"The first step for us to take is to determine how our expedition is going to be executed" she began again, speaking over the crowd. "We'll have three Teams for the expedition, each group consisting of three Pokémon. We'll need a number of Pokémon here to help out mapping the routes to reach the Ruins, a few more to ensure the safety of those reaching there, and the rest of us to assist in preparations. There should hopefully be no hiccups on the expedition, but I'll be sending the stronger groups on the expedition into the ruins to ensure they can stand their own ground should something happen." She looked across the crowd and started off her decision making. "Alright, I need half of us to start making preparations for the trip. How many are willing to help with the organization of things?" She received a surprising amount of hands raised, breaking the group into two. "Now, we'll need a group of Pokémon to assist in escorting the parties. How many do we have willing to do that?" she stated, a stronger group of Pokémon raising their hand. She gave a nod, still quite a few Pokémon left willing to become the expeditionary force.

"Alright, to the rest of you, form up into your Teams. But you have to remember, this isn't just a team of friends or of strength—the task is quite mysterious and we have no idea what are in the ruins. You'll need to keep cool and play smart. Go ahead and get set up" Raichu stated with a wave of her paw, the number of Pokémon forming themselves into Teams. There were a number of familiar faces on some of the groups: the female Garchomp had paired herself with Scrafty and Samurott, a team more oriented around their friendship, Garchomp leading them off as Team Supreme; Infernape, Gallade, and Bisharp decided to band together, even with the bits of animosity they had together, in favor of forming a more rounded, and quite notorious team, Team B.I.G.; a team consisting of a Gengar, a Mightyena, and a Zoroark joined forces as Team Spectre; Team Dream comprised of a young Lucario, an overly confident Emolga, and a solemn Vaporeon, all three relatively young compared to the others; and finally, a quasi-team of Togekiss, Greninja, and Ninetails made the makeshift Team Muse, holding quite the intellectual advantage, yet had no will to fight if things became rough. The five Teams lined themselves up in front of Raichu, her observant eyes gazing upon each of them. She knew each of them quite well, their flaws and strengths, and looked to determine which Teams would hold the greatest aptitude in the field. After a few minutes of pondering, the room quiet, she raised a paw up, the slowly lowered it down towards the Teams.

"I have decided on which Teams are going to comprise the expeditionary task force. First off, I wish to name the Team that, though not joining the expedition, will be instrumental in leading and assisting the groups there. Ninetails, Togekiss, Greninja; Team Muse will work to help organize the efforts; I know your strong intellects will help make the safest and most optimal course for the groups." The three Pokémon nodded, a bit thankful they weren't selected to be part of the main squadrons, but determined nonetheless to help the effort.

"Next off, I commend the tenacity that Team Dream has shown! I know you three have a strong will-power and drive to be the top, but experience is a key in such a scenario. Keep up the fire and keep getting stronger; in no time, you'll be the absolute dream team!" she spoke happily to them. They understandably gave saddened looks at not being selected, but were content with the appraisal they were given, each of them going off to talk about and brag about their commendation to the other Pokémon around them.

She looked at the three remaining Teams, pointing to them one by one "The Teams that will lead this mission are: Team Supreme, Team B.I.G., and Team Spectre! Congratulations to each of you! I have trust that each of you will be able to carry out the job fully, not simply in competition, but in accord with each other" she spoke out to them. "And now ladies and gentlemen, we begin preparations for the great odyssey of the Ruins of The North!"

December 20th. After two days of vigorous planning, the majority of the journey was worked out to the smallest detail. The three Teams entered into Raichu's workplace, summoned there to talk about their objective and how the mission was to be structured. On each side of Raichu stood Togekiss, Ninetails, and Greninja, each prepared to speak out the steps the Teams were to take. Ninetails spoke up first to the group of nine, his voice methodical and formal. "Hello all, and best of luck in the upcoming journey. The first part of your trip will be to gather supplies from the city; aid will be instrumental in your chances of success. We recommend you make a plan to gather food, tools, and any other thing you might find useful in exploring a ruin. We will supply you a decent amount of money, so be wise and use what you can to the best effort" he wrapped up.

Next came Greninja, rolling out a map in front of them; "After your acquisition of material in the town, you will meet up with a party of Pokémon at this location" he stated, his webbed finger pointing at a distance a few dozen kilometers away from the Mansion. "There is a hut nearby there that we'll use as a rendezvous. From the town to here should take you no more than an hour. You will have ample time to reach it after your time in town, while the group from the Mansion catches up to you all."

He moved back a bit, allowing Togekiss to take the floor, his voice soothing to the ear. "The party from the Mansion will help escort you through the bitter weather to the entrance of the Ruins. From there on, the majority of the party will return to the Mansion, whilst a few will remain at the hut, dispatching individuals to the entrance every half hour or so."

"The Ruins are uncharted, but we do know a minute amount of them from history books. There should be three entrances of the ruins, hence the three Teams. Each Team will take an individual entrance, exploring through caverns to reach the end point. We do not know much of where or what the end is, but the writings have it that it contains the Star of The North." He finished up his speech, returning back, as Raichu moved herself up in front of them, giving them a formal, yet serious look; "We do not know how dangerous the voyage is inside the Ruins, so please be careful. If any of you are hurt, return immediately—your safety is the first priority in such a situation."

She looked to each member of each group, one after the other nodding in understanding. She gave a warm smile to each of them, giving a small salute "We wish you the best of luck on your trip! Once you head these doors, Garchomp will give you the money you need, and then off to town you guys go. Be safe, have fun, and to the best for your exploration!" she exclaimed, the Teams giving a small cheer.

Each Team headed out one by one from the door, meeting Garchomp as he greeted them with a smile. He handed out the money allotted for each group to the group leaders: Miss Garchomp took the money as head of Team Supreme; after a bit of arguing, Bisharp proclaimed himself leader and took the money for Team B.I.G.; and in Team Spectre, Gengar swiftly reached his hands out and took his group's share. The Teams happily thanked Garchomp, drawing closer to the entrance of the Mansion. They were met with cheers and applause as team by team exited out the entrance, making their way to the town.

Garchomp gave his wave and returned to Raichu, happily speaking to her "The Teams have each received their share of money and exited the Mansion. They are headed on their way to town now!" Raichu gave him a nod, sitting back on her chair with a sigh, looking over her map "We'll send out our company to meet them by the hut in five hours. That should be enough time, don't you think?" she stated, concern filling her voice.

Garchomp smiled warmly to her, giving a gentle nod "I think it will be more than enough. Worry not Raichu, everything is planned out carefully; you have no reason to fear. After all, you chose each Team for a reason. If push comes to shove, they have the power, mind, and friendship to make it through" he stated, a smile upon his mouth.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: O Little Town of Bethlehem

"Alright, see, this is how we're gonna do things" the Bisharp spoke gruffly, walking backwards through the snow as he looked as his fellow teammates. "We're gonna beat our way through, take down any obstacle. We have the best composition, we're unstoppable. We'll just keep going straight" he rambled on, to the annoyance of the Infernape. "After all, being the _captain_ of our Team means—"he stated, before getting cut off by an "Oi!" from Infernape.

"Listen here mate" he stated, pointing a finger at the nonchalantly, backwards walking Bisharp "We're doing this as a TEAM, it's not just you yeah? And I thought I was the hasty, ill-witted one" he huffed out, blowing a small flame from his mouth. "If anyone's gon' to take the reins of the Team, it ought to be me, yeah?" the Infernape pushed, giving a half-opened eye look at the Bisharp, which immediately triggered out a riposte from the Dark-type "If anything, _you're_ gonna be carrying all the bags for us, monkey" the Bisharp grumbled. "I don't take sass from a knife-rack, friend" he smirked, eyes closed as he kept walking forwards.

Gallade looked at the two, giving an audible, irritated sigh "Enough. Cease. We're working as a Team, yes? Then let's work together. I get we tease, but let's focus. We are friends after all, right?" he stated, looking between the two of them. "Eh…" Infernape started, "I mean, well…" Bisharp continued, then nearly in unison, they responded with "Yes." "Well, alright then, we have that settled. Now let's focus, best place for us to head first is blacksmith, find the best tools the earliest. We can head around from there on out" Gallade continued, trekking on through the snow. "Sounds good then, we'll get a head start on those _stupid nerds_ back there" Bisharp taunted out at Team Supreme. Infernape smirked, letting out a laugh with Bisharp, Gallade giving a roll of the eyes and a chuckle with them as well.

Team B.I.G. and Team Supreme were not on hostile terms in the least bit. In fact, the members on both Teams were great friends with one another, and had their fair share of healthy taunts and teasing. Infernape looked over his shoulder, Team Supreme ten meters or so behind them, and pulled down his bottom eyelid in a mocking gesture.

Scrafty immediately turned her face to the teasing Infernape, sticking her tongue out at him, before giving off a giggle. She turned back to the other two, Garchomp speaking out to her fellow teammates: "Alright, let's uh, focus. First things first, supplies. I say we head over to the general goods store and see what's in stock. Might find handy things like rope, bags, food, whatever we need" she remarked.

Samurott, treading lightly on the snow covered ground alongside Garchomp, gave a nod in agreeance. "Sounds like a good plan, we can gather general things at the store, and then head over to different locations after if need be" Samurott spoke, "We'll have things done in no time." Samurott gave an exhale of breath, a small mist leaving her mouth. She then looked towards the Team a ways in front of her with a sneer. "Don't worry guys, we've got the upper hand over those clowns, they won't last a minute against us" she stated with a grin, Garchomp and Scrafty giving off exclamations of concurrence.

Behind both Team B.I.G. and Team Supreme, some 30 meters or so, trailed Team Spectre. The Team was more reserved, keeping to themselves, planning up what to do during their impeding expedition.

Zoroark looked to the two, her arms resting behind her head as she walked, and with a sly voice uttered to them "So…about the Star. If it's real…" she stated, her eyes shifting to Gengar and Mightyena, a smirk forming on her lips "Think we should keep it for ourselves? We'll make quite the buck." Mightyena responded with a devilish smile, padding on the cold ground "I say we go for it, don't need those fools ahead of us. We're doing the work, _we_ deserve the reward" he urged, looking between the other two, seemingly only Zoroark giving a sign of agreeance. Gengar cut him off quickly, retorting against the thoughts the two had.

"Hey, hey, enough of that garbage, seriously" he stated, snapping at them. "We already get a bad enough rap as it is, Pokémon already think lowly of us, yeah? No clue why you guys would want to soil such a reputation even further" he exhaled, looking between the two. Zoroark gave a bit of an embarrassed look to him, her ears folding back, letting out a soft "Sorry" as she paced behind him. Mightyena kept a more determined look, his face giving off a depiction of adamancy in his thoughts.

Gengar marched forwards, keeping track of the two others. He knew Zoroark was a bit sly and conniving, but she could kept on the right path. Mightyna, on the other hand…that was a different story. He jumped into the air, levitating backwards in front of the two, giving off a big, ghastly smile to the two of them. "Hey, no need to get upset guys. Let's focus on what we're going to do. I say we head out and get food. Places are going to be backed this time of the year, so we stop by the bakery, get what we need, and hurry up with our other supplies so we don't spoil anything. Sound good?"

"Sounds like a plan!" responded out Zoroark, quite happily, Mightyena lifting his head up only slightly with a grumble for a confirmation. "Alright, off we go. We'll show everyone why we're the best" proclaimed Gengar, Team Spectre walking in unison.

The seemingly vast amount of whiteness covering the plains and forests gave out to the bustling movements of the town. While the Pokémon of the forest hibernated, the Pokémon here seemed busy as ever, shops flourishing with visitors, pedestrians walking the white streets, a town seemingly identical to that of a fairy tale. First to the city entered Team B.I.G., immediately followed by Team Supreme, the two sides taunting each other and swiftly departing to their locations, seeking out the supplies they needed. Behind entered Team Spectre, making their way methodically to the bakery.

Team Spectre walked down the familiar streets, the towns-Pokémon quite amiable. The group passed by a Slowking dressed in red robes, ringing a bell as he greeted them happily. A number of young Pokémon walked down the sidewalk adjacent to them, singing Christmas carols to the houses they visited, their smiles and songs bringing warmth to the chilly air.

Eventually, they came across a male Zoroark strumming his guitar, the songs of carols from another region radiating from it. He smiled and waved to the group, the Gengar leading them into the store the fox was playing next to. The three were immediately hit with a blast of aroma, the scent of cooked bread and pastries flowing through their nostrils. They passed rack upon rack of assorted types of bread, heading to the counter to see if they could be given any assistance.

A Sneasel sat behind a register, giving them a warm greeting. The three responded in kind, but were interrupted by an extremely swift and hurried Weavile, running back and forth past the Team and back behind the counter. The Sneasel snickered and looked to the three of them; "Don't mind her, she's a little preoccupied. Around this time of the year she always gets like this" she chortled out. The Gengar nodded, "Yeah, I thought it was going to be a bit busy. Surprised there aren't so many Pokémon here right now buying Christmas treats and…fruit cakes" he stated, a bit of a shiver overcoming the Ghost-type. "We're here just to buy some bread and food for a long voyage; you guys have anything in stock?"

The Sneasel gave them a thumbs up, walking from behind the counter and over to an array of breads and baked goods. After selecting the foods they favored, they paid the Sneasel at the counter, exiting the bakery to the sounds of goodbye from the Sneasel and the Weavile.

Team Supreme followed their familiar path to the general goods store, entering in to see an Empoleon and a Mienshao behind the service desk. The Mienshao gave off a happy "Greetings!" to the three, the Scrafty, Garchomp, and Samurott giving a wave to the two employees. The three walked around in the medium sized store, searching between the Team for things they would need.

Samurott made her way to the hardware, reaching for one of the last few ropes she could find, before seeing it being picked up a second later by a Porygon-Z. She looked at him with a bit of a befuddled expression, the other seemingly aware she was going for the same thing. In a moment of sheepishness and apology, the Porygon-Z gave her the rope she so sought after, Samurott expressing her sincerest thanks to the kind Pokémon. The other two met up with Samurott at the front desk, each of them placing down the items they retrieve: ropes, backpacks, scarfs, lighters, and everything in-between. The three progressed back through the doors they came from, a bell chiming as the cold wind welcomed them back outdoors.

Infernape, Gallade, and Bisharp hastily made their way to the blacksmith. The post was quite the ways into the town, but after running hurriedly through the frosty streets, the three found themselves at their destination. The blacksmith store gave off the appearance of a large tent, a table near the entrance of the store separating the public from the metalworking behind.

An Aegislash stood steadfast behind the table, giving a glare upon the three. The Infernape made his way up, speaking to the sword Pokémon. "Hey there mate, we're looking around for pickaxes, shovels, and lanterns if you lot have any. Do ya?" he questioned out, an arm leaning against the counter.

The Aegislash remained where he was, speaking out condescendingly "We here do not provide our services to the lowest denominator of Pokémon. Go search elsewhere" he asserted, the three Pokémon shouting back angrily in response to his remarks. A Combusken made her way through the tent, passing by a Machamp pounding a hammer against a recently heated sword. She made her way up behind the Aegislash, pushing him away, shooing him in opposition to his complaints. "Hey fellas, what can I do for ya?" she stated, looking to the three of them, "Sorry about him, Aegislash can be a bit of a stuck up guys at times."

"Hey! We're looking for shovels, lanterns, pickaxes, whatever you got" Bisharp chimed in to her "We're getting ready for some exploring, so anything along those lines would help." She looked at the three, a smile coming across her face "Wait a second, I know you guys! You're the talk of the town, apparently a bunch of ya are headed out to the Ruins, right? Good for you!" she stated, waving Machamp over. "They'll need what we got in the back Machamp" she stated, Machamp making his way out to bring them their supplies. Team B.I.G. gratefully took the tools they were given, paying the Combusken in delight, and made their way out towards their next stop.

The three Teams met up back at the town's limit from where they came, each Pokémon prepared with the materials they would need. With one motion, the Teams headed out to the designated hut, the checkpoint that would bring both the rallying party and the Teams together, and finally start their journey into the Ruins.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: We Three Kings

A Lurantis stood outside in the cold. She shivered a bit, holding her red scythes against her body. Her form was lightly covered in snow, a light snowfall having started some thirty minutes ago. She turned back to look at the hut; it was cylindrical in appearance with a small cone, relatively large in size—the diameter of the structure ranged around 10 meters, so it held enough space for the company of three that lived inside it.

Sceptile and Banette remained inside, preparing food and water for the impending arrival of not only the Mansion's Teams, but their guidance party as well. They expected around 25 or so individuals, so they worked hastily. Lurantis had made her way outside a few minutes ago, the time drawing near for when they expected to see the incoming groups of Pokémon. Sceptile wrapped up a sandwich, turning over to Banette, a worried look on his face.

"You think we should call Lurantis back in? The weather's a bit bad outside…" he stressed, looking outside a nearby window of the hut. There was a massive discrepancy between the temperature inside and outside the small structure, the warmth within the house seemingly offering an oasis to the sheer vastness of cold that surrounded the land. He got himself back, Banette persuading him not to worry, before the mantis-like Pokémon jumped back into the hut.

"I saw them!" she squeaked, the Banette popping up. "Where, how close?" the Banette responded, hurrying back to preparing some of the food. "About a few hundred meters away! I couldn't see too far with all the snowfall coming down, but they're getting close!" she gleamed to the two others. Banette and Sceptile swiftly prepared the rest of the food, Lurantis walking back outside to great the incoming Pokémon.

The party of Pokémon finally arrived, the Team having caught a glimpse of the rally group on the way there, and hastily joined them on their march to the hut. Banette, Lurantis, and Sceptile all heartily greeted them to their small abode, their guests enthralled with the food and warmth they received. The three caretakers of the hut heard about the quite fearsome and yet captivating journey the Teams would make in the mysterious Ruins, and each pledged their help to assisting these Pokémon at their house.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Down in Yon Forest

After a quite homey experience at the hut, the majority of the Pokémon group left out to start their expedition through the white-covered forest and off towards the Ruins. Garchomp, previously having remained at the Mansion to help around the manor, waved goodbye to the Pokémon of the hut and a handful of others who were chosen to remain in the hut.

It was determined that once the party reached the site of the Ruins, Garchomp would remain inside the mouth of the ruins with one or two others as the Teams would depart further inwards. The few he remained with would then tread back together to the hut, in exchange for another two, and thus the cycle could continue as to ensure they had personnel standing by if the Teams needed help.

Garchomp reached back into a sack, pulling out a small sandwich, and munched on it happily as he observed the others intermingling between them. The Teams seemed quite happy and prepared; they carried _just_ enough—not too much to hinder them, and not too little to make the expedition tedious. They each spoke around to their fellow teammates, to the other Teams, and to the party members from the Mansion. He held such a sight dear to him, so many Pokémon coming together to achieve a common goal, in seemingly perfect harmony—it near brought a tear to his eye. He snapped back, being spoken to, and resumed his march joyfully socializing with the other Pokémon.

The path into the forest seemed to pose relatively few problems. What territorial Pokémon tended to reside in these parts typically slept through this time of the year, the need for force was kept at a minimum. The group soldiered on, blankets passed between them all, food rationed in order to ensure the group would not go hungry on the way there, yet have enough to make the trip back.

Garchomp asked out to the three Teams what they thought their course of action would be. Gengar gave a small shrug in return, speaking out for Team Spectre "Eh, we don't know yet. What Ninetails and the others told us back at the Mansion is pretty much all we know about the Ruins, so we don't have much to go off of" he spoke plainly. Scrafty nodded in agreement "We'll take things a bit at a time it pretty much" she mouthed out, softly swatting as Infernape toyed with her crest. "We're coherent teams, we'll stick together and work through things" she nodded, the members of each Team seemingly in accord.

Garchomp gave a look between them all, giving a slow up and down of the head. "This is an odyssey you will have to venture, but not alone. Have faith in you, have faith in your team—only then will you find success my friends" he stated quite knowingly, leading them on as the destination came closer and closer, the Garchomp affirming its location on the map. He looked up, turned around to each of the teams, and gave a wide smile "After all, your adventures start now. May the best of luck befall all of you!"


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Silent Night

The expeditionary group found themselves standing in front of the mouth of a large, hollow cavern in the midst of the whitewashed forest. The mouth held the form of a triangle, its top a solid 4 meters above the ground. Garchomp led them inside the cavern, the snow ceasing around as the subtle drips of water from the cave mixed with the shuffling of feet and supplies. Garchomp held his map in one hand, a fellow party member holding a number of different memos next to him.

After carefully analyzing both sets of papers, Garchomp turned around to the groups, pointing his large claw towards the middle of the cave. "From what I have read and deduced, the mouth should lead to the true entrance of the Ruins deeper into the cave, and from then on…we don't have much info" he stated blankly. "All we know is of the three entrances, one for each Team." He looked between each Team, his face turning from that of worry, to that of determination. "You're all formidable Pokémon; you have the strength to conquer this labyrinth."

Together with the rest of the group from the Mansion, he parted off to the side of the cave, the temperature more tolerable than that outside. He turned back, escorting the three Teams deeper into the cavern, then stopped and stepped aside. With one large, heavy sigh, he let out a smile and spoke kindly "We will be awaiting your returns at the mouth. If anything goes wrong, _anything_ " he spoke out, severity in his voice "Come back to us at once, we will give whatever aid is needed. We're on standby for you all—never hesitate to return" he quietly explained. He gave a small smirk, then proceeded to give a large grin as he hugged each of them, one by one. "Be safe, be smart, and may all odds be in your favors!" he exclaimed, leaving the Three teams alone in the deepness of the cavern.

Gengar, Bisharp, and Garchomp each marched side by side deeper into the cavern's interior, the Teams in step with one another. What light they had from the outside world slowly dwindled as meter by meter they treaded onwards. A lantern was lit, the layout of the cavern forming a more visible image to the Teams.

"What did Garchomp tell us at the entrance?" Garchomp of Team Supreme spoke 'Keep going forwards, the entrance to the Ruins is straight on.' It's not looking like it guys" she muttered, as minute by minute the same rocky, dripping scenery passed them. "Eh, we already got this far, better to just keep going and searching" interjected Gengar. "I mean, after all, the entrance is probably something hidden or cryptic, not normally visible to random Pokémon that wander down here, it's probably—" he spoke, before freezing, the Teams all standing in shock.

Before the three Teams lied a towering, rectangular hole, the writings of an old, foreign language illustrating the sides. Two colossal, intimidating statues guarded the sides of the some thirty meter tall entrance, the statues taking the form of overarching Golurks, stone spears firmly held to the side of each. "Y'know, it's probably the most pronounced thing we'll ever see" mocked Bisharp, Gengar muttering back in annoyance.

To the side of each statue, a meter or so in front, were placed two large, torch-like sticks. Gengar took the lantern, hovered it over both sticks, the torches illuminating the proximity surrounding them. "Well…guess we're here" spoke Garchomp, marching on forwards. Her Team followed behind her, accompanied by the other two teams, as the lantern once again provided a source of light. The interior of the Ruins seemed to be brighter than the cavern that preceded it, an odd, natural light seemingly flowing inside of it. Though it was not as bright as the light of the surface, it allowed the Teams to have a sense of the area around them without too much difficulty.

Gallade, of Team B.I.G., took the lantern of his team, marching on a ways forwards. "We were told there were three entrances. If all calculations are in order, then…Aha!" he stated, the other Teams catching up to him to witness his discovery. The corridor of the Ruins gave way to three intersecting areas: one continued on forwards, the Northern entrance; the other, to the right of it, held the East path; the final, opposite one of the Eastern path revealed a Western route.

The three Teams looked at one another. Team B.I.G. stepped forwards, their team members turning around to see the other two—they would take the North. Team Spectre, following Gengar, walked to the right—Spectre would explore the East. And finally, Samurott, Garchomp, and Scrafty marched their way towards the left—Team Supreme would tackle the West. The three Teams turned to one another, a subtle nod coming from each leader, and with one motion, the Teams began their long awaited expedition.


	8. Chapter 7: The East

Chapter 7: I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In

 _The East_

Gengar, stepping front in front of foot on the craggy, rocky floor, raised his lantern around to illuminate the scenery. The path they chose did not seem paved; it lacked the bricks and stone slabs they witnessed upon entering through the gigantic door. The trail was a simple trail—it hugged along a steep incline to its right, and to its left laid a precarious drop. The path seemed daunting, but there was enough light to allow the Ghost and Dark types to navigate their way along.

"This doesn't look much like some ancient ruins" mumbled out Zoroark, treading on her hind limbs alongside Mightyena "It's too rocky and natural; we might be on the wrong way." "Could be some side road they used, it doesn't have to be all paved and whatnot" remarked Mightyena, shaking off some of the dust that was slowly accumulating on his fur.

"Remember, we're one of the few who've actually ever seen this outside the dead civilization" Gengar noted, lifting himself in the air, floating forwards with the lantern upheld. "We don't have details on what we're looking for, so deeper we go. If we wind up finding nothing when we're…let's say…" Gengar held, looking over at the bag of food Mightyena carried "about three quarters empty of food, we turn back. That means we need to conserve" he affirmed, his stomach as if on cue grumbling. The other two snickered behind him, Gengar grumbling to himself as he floated on.

After a seemingly endless amount of walking, which in reality amounted to around 40 minutes, Team Spectre began to come towards the end of the path. The trail slowly decreased in width, the incline and the drop converging to only allow one of them to pass at a time. As the path began to diminish, the sight of a large, looming temple came into view. The three opened their eyes widely to the magnificent creation, the pyramidal building encompassing all the things they imagined from an expedition into ancient remains.

As they spoke in wonder between themselves in awe of the shrine, Zoroark began to feel a light rumble in her legs. She paused, her ears twitching, the other two looking back at her in confusion. She looked upwards to her right, up along the large incline, her eyes opening wide. "RUN!" she exclaimed, pushing the other two in front of her. The grumbling became more pronounced, Gengar and Mightyena dashing forwards to her request. In a swift, last second jump and tumble towards them, Zoroark dove out of the way of an enormous boulder, the rock collapsing down the perilous drop to their side.

Zoroark looked back up to them, then up to where the boulder had nearly crushed her, panting and shaking in their midst. She noticed a small blur move towards the top of the incline, though she was unaware if it was another rock, a Pokémon…or perhaps her mind playing tricks on her. With a patting of her mane, she stood back up, embraced by the other two. The marched their way off towards the looming sanctuary, eager, yet weary of what was to come.

Gengar, Zoroark, and Mightyena stared up at the towering structure. Sure it seemed large to them when they were back on the trail, but it was something else entirely to see it at its doorstep. Still carrying the lantern, Gengar levitated on through the opening that served as the shrine's entrance. Inside, the sanctuary seemed quite the contrary to what they felt on the outside—the temple felt more compact, an interior roof serving to give the building a more normal feeling than that of a grandiose pyramid.

Mightyena huffed out, irritated with the situation "This place looks empty, no valuable-looking artifacts, no mystic garments or trinkets, nothing." The grounds were indeed quite barren. Besides the few stone tables and fallen pillars, the interior was empty. "Maybe someone came here before us, or maybe they all moved away" Zoroark commented, her paws resting against the back of her head.

Gengar gave a shrug to the other two "Welp, like I said, the best we can do is just keep going forw—" he remarked, before a faint, yet discernable giggling was heard. The trio stopped, looking between the three of them. "That wasn't one of us…" Zoroark stated, her eyes moving around the temple. "No…I thought this place was abandoned" grumbled out Mightyena, his body alert, teeth barred. "Keep your wits, don't panic" Gengar muttered, the three now forming a small circle, looking around to spot the location of the haunting noise.

In a flash, vines wormed their way throughout the surrounding area, enclosing Team Spectre in a large area. Zoroark's hands began to glow dark purple, Mightyena's form emanating a similar color. The giggling grew louder, until the form of a Roserade became distinguishable a number of meters in front of them. The three immediately faced forwards towards her, Mightyena shouting out "Who are you?! State yourself!"

Roserade wickedly giggled, her form touching down upon the ground. She looked between the three of them, a large grin forming on her mouth "My oh my, how rude of an introduction, though I must say mine wasn't better. Shame Zoroark here had to push you all away from my trick" she cooed. Zoroark's eyes lit up in anger, gnashing out at her "So _you're_ the one who nearly got us harmed, what's your issue?!" she yelled at the other. Roserade placed one of her elegant, fragrant flowers in front of her own face, giggling lightly "It's quite lonely down here in the caverns. After all, my civilization decided to abandon these places, so the few of us that remained barely get outside contact. But when we do…" she spoke, her words coming off her lips soft as a feather "We enjoy toying with our prey" she laughed, her form rising up slightly.

"The rocks might not have gotten you, but you best be sure I will" she stated, her being growing darker. "All you Pokémon ever want is to come down here and steal our things, you never care about us or our property, shooing us off as if we were nothing" the Roserade spoke, her voice turning more grim as an aura of intermixing green and purple glowed brightly around her. "I'll teach you all a lesson, I'll make you suffer, you petty, thieving little—" Roserade began before being cut off by a poke on her shoulder, shrugging it off. She was about to begin again before the poke continued, Roserade turning around rapidly with an enraged face, unleashing a "WHAT?!" to the culprit…but nothing was there.

She turned back around once more, a frown plastered upon her face, before the feeling of an entire arm made its presence known on her shoulders. Roserade turned her head swiftly to the side, to see a large, smiling Gengar relaxing right up next to her. "Hey, that's a pretty neat trick, with all the vines and whatnot" he chortled, his comrades baffled by his stunt, the other two expecting a full-out battle. "Can you make tricks with it? Is it at your command?" he genuinely asked, before a series of vines raced up and grabbed at the area where he was, Gengar seemingly disappearing in them. "Yes" simply replied Roserade with a huff, Zoroark and Mightyena shouting out in shock for him.

Gengar tisked as he reappeared in front of her, giving a small wave. "Now that wasn't nice, what was that about? I just wanted to know" he pouted, crossing his arms. Quite unamused, Roserade sassily responded "And I just wanted to show. Now get out of my way, I'm about to pulverize all of you."

A series of leaves began to flow from the floor up as Roserade's eyes slowly glowed, the Grass-type cracking a smile at the others that lie below her, before a boop on her nose caused the leaves to drop in an instant. Gengar rested himself quite comically on her head, papping at her. "Ever imagine if we tried to use a tornado-like move against a real tornado? Would that cancel them out, or make an even larger tornado?" he pondered, the Roserade underneath his floating form slowly fuming in sheer anger. Below the two, Zoroark began to let out a little snicker, understanding what Gengar was trying to do with the other, though Mightyena remained distraught at the entire scenario.

"ENOUGH" shouted out Roserade, throwing her flowery fist at the Gengar, the Gengar vanishing in front of her. She let out one more attempt at a punch, the arm phasing right through him. "Stop it, stop, please, it tickles!" Gengar let out with an actual giggle as her flower-like appendage pulled itself back out. In a fit of rage, she threw her form at his, an arm reeled back, a blow ready to be delivered—but was met with a hug. She stood there, suspended in the air, a fist raised while the Gengar held her close and patted her petal-tipped head. Her mouth remained agape, the Gengar softly speaking to her "Hey, hey, we're not enemies. We came on an expedition, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."

The two floated down, Roserade still in his arms as he continued his embrace, the Grass-type looking up to him with a few tears lining her eyes. Zoroark walked over to the two, wrapping her arms around them both "You gave us quite the fright back at the trail, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends!" The Roserade sniffed lightly, the two other Pokémon giving her a feeling she had never experienced for such a long time. She broke down in the hug, the vines reeling themselves back from the surrounding area, Mightyena standing in utter silence as he observed the scenery return to normal.

"There there" whispered Gengar, the Roserade releasing soft, wet tears upon the other two. "I—I'm so sorry, nobody…nobody…" she stuttered out "Nobody's treated me this nice before" she cried out, droplets plipping on the temple floor. Gengar rested the top of his head against hers, murmuring in response "It's alright, we're here for you, you're friends are here." The mere mention of her having friends caused her to break down once again in the arms of the other two, the Roserade releasing what she had stored for years.

After an emotional experience, the Roserade guided the Team through the rest of the temple, taking them to a path that led to the Star. It was risky for her, but she knew she could trust Pokémon as loving as the ones she had just met. Just as she was to turn around and leave back to her domain, the Gengar appeared in front of her, giving a small shake of his head. "What's up with this? Doesn't our new friend want to be the fourth member of Team Spectre?" With a large, wide-eyed expression, she jumped at the Gengar and gave him a hug, nodding her head vigorously. Mightyena, back with Zoroark, grumbled at the sight of the two "Are we really gonna trust the person who tried to destroy us? Seriously?!" Zoroark looked back, giving a small pat to his shoulder "Ah don't worry, she's a real sweetheart. You need to lighten up and have faith more often—don't be so dark all the time" she snickered out.

With that, the four members of Team Spectre marched their way along the fabled path to the resting place of the Star, acquainted with not only a new Team member, but a friend.


	9. Chapter 7: The North

_The North_

Bisharp strolled casually in front of his two other teammates, lantern in one hand, and a piece of bread in the other. He munched hungrily on the piece, crumbs dropping gently on the stone floor below them. Infernape turned his head to the left, letting out a small puff of a flame. The Fire-type trailed a paw against the stone wall that ran on his side, groaning at the monotony their path seemed to be giving. The army of three had found themselves in a long, straight hallway the moment they stepped through their entrance, walls on all sides. Gallade had deduced that it may have been the common route the older civilization took between their different structures, though why they walled it like so was beyond him.

"Hall, hall, more hall, hall" muttered out Infernape, his finger moving up and down the side of the wall. Bisharp turned around, snubbing at the other "Hey maybe if you shut your mouth, things would go a lot quicker." He turned around, only to be greeted by a kick on the foot, near tripping him. He stumbled, growling as he regained composure, a fist raised as he turned around to intimidate the other. The Infernape gave a smirk, waving him off "Try it, we both know how it ends up. Time and time again it's the same result." Bisharp turned around with an irritated look, angrily eating at his piece of bread.

Gallade groaned at the sound of the two teammates fighting, something he'd become accustomed to for years upon years, yet nonetheless it remained tiring every time. The Psychic type looked left and right in a methodical manner, matching his pacing. He knew he was more or less the true leader of the group, having the wits, smarts, and strength to give an edge over the other two, but he let Bisharp have his small moment of glory for the time being.

The team continued on for a kilometer, the path impressive in build as it was in length, until the route completely stopped. The three stood standing, staring as the hall seemed to form a three-way intersection, left and right the only option. Gallade turned nonchalantly, pointing towards the right, exclaiming "I say we go right", Infernape expressing at the same time for the group to go left. The two Pokémon looked at each other and sighed, before Bisharp spoke out—"I say we go straight."

Gallade had no idea how he didn't see it, he must have not been as close to the wall in front of him as Bisharp. A single, wooden door rested itself at the end of the massive hallway, reminiscent of the thousands of other doors they had in the outside world. Bisharp knocked a few times, Gallade rolling his eyes "Bisharp, remember? _Ancient_ ruins?" before opening up the door, moving inside the area. Bisharp grumbled back "Well it doesn't hurt to try," following suite behind Gallade. Infernape held up the rear, closing the door behind them, giving one last look at the never-ending hallway.

The three looked around in the dark, Bisharp pulling out his lantern, before all three of them were seemingly blinded by a piercing light. Gallade covered his eyes, slowly opening and closing his eyelids until the light seemed to return to normal, a drastic change from the dimness of the hallway to this illumination. He looked around, patting his other two members, Bisharp and Infernape still trying to adjust. "Uh…guys? Please…look around you" he stated.

The cause of the sudden flash of light was something one would never expect in the supposed ruins…a light bulb. Bisharp, Infernape, and Gallade looked around to where they had found themselves. It was a decently sized room, reminiscent almost of a large bedroom found in the fairytale stories of small children. A bed lied off to the side of the room; a small table was placed in the middle, cushions surrounding it that served as seats. The room's walls were painted blue and pink, the carpet matching a similar appearance.

The three explorers simply stood with their mouths opened, observing the room around them. "This isn't a trick, is it?" whispered out Infernape. "It's not a Psychic type move or illusion" responded Bisharp, Gallade bending down to touch the scenery. "B-b-but…these are ruins…the Ruins" Gallade wheezed out, incapable of determining what was going on…until a noise was heard. The three turned in unison to look at a door towards the end of the room, the knob slowly squeaking open. The three Pokémon instinctively took battle stances; Bisharp extended out his arm blades, Infernape took to his fighting stance, Gallade's arm's grew to their weapon-like appearance. "Get ready" muttered out Bisharp, the door slowly creaking open.

In a change of manner, the door then briskly threw itself open, a Gardevoir standing behind it with a smile on her face, her hands holding a plate of biscuits. "You guys are late!" she exclaimed, much to the surprise of everyone else. "I made tea too, give me a second. Please, sit yourselves down!" she happily cheered out to the three. The trio kept their stances, not allowing any form of trickery to deceive them, until Bisharp slowly lowered his arms. His blades retracted, and he tilted his head. He turned to the other two, whispering out "I don't think this is hostility. Maybe we should take the hospitality and figure things out." Infernape slowly followed suite, Gallade a bit weary of what was going on. "Fine. Just be cautious, don't let down your guard" he muttered, following Bisharp over to the small table in the middle of the room.

Bisharp sat down, crossing his legs, happily taking a few of the biscuits that rested in front of him. He munched happily as the Gardevoir returned with a kettle, setting down four tea cups on each side of the table, pouring out some tea for each of them. After a few moments, Gallade begrudgingly sat down in front of Bisharp, Infernape to his right. He detested how Bisharp seemed to be fine with what was going on; perhaps his stomach was where his mind was.

Gardevoir took a seat next to Bisharp and Gallade, a cheerful demeanor on her face. "How are all of you!" she happily asked out, receiving mixed responses from the lot, Bisharp giving the more upbeat remarks of the group. "Let me guess. Ruins, supposed to be all worn down and ancient, and yet there's still a room that looks modern with electricity, how does it happen?" Gallade responded out with a bit of a grumble, Gardevoir giggling out in response "I live here, to keep on the family tradition, but I visit the surface every so often."

"I thought this place was abandoned" muttered out Gallade, giving her an eerie look. She shook her head with a smile "Most of our civilization left the place in the more recent centuries, mixing out with the Pokémon in the outside world, but a few of us, like my family, stayed." She looked around, giving a small shrug "Hey, I just wanted to live the best of both worlds." Bisharp took a small sip of his tea, giving her a nod. "The place is lovely, it's so cute and warm in its appearance" he awed, to the disgust of his fellow teammates. Infernape and Gallade looked at each other, then back to Bisharp, Gardevoir giving a small laugh at their acts.

Minutes passed by, Infernape and Gallade walked around a room adjacent to the bedroom she resided in, taking note of how the few Pokémon here, or—at the very least—Gardevoir lived their lives. Bisharp remained at the table with her, the two mingling and laughing between themselves, Bisharp lost in the words of the other. Gallade leaned in to Infernape, muttering to his teammate as they heard the laughter from the other room "I don't like what's going on. You see Bisharp? Hasn't been an hour and he's all over her. There's something fishy." Infernape gave a snicker, responding back "Or, well, it's Bisharp being Bisharp." Gallade huffed out, feeling as if he was the only one paranoid with what was happening around him.

Bisharp let out a small laugh, turning back to the other Pokémon. His face began to show a light reddening as he stared at her smiling form, his hand rubbing the back of his head in a bit of nervousness. Gardevoir moved herself a bit closer to him, the Bisharp's heart pounding slightly faster in pace. "Tell me about you guys" she giggled, looking at the Dark-type "Are you all friends?" Bisharp gave a small nod, snickering out "Yeah, but we have our fair share of fights, you know how friendships can go." Gardevoir gave a light chuckle, looking towards the door of the room housing the other two, then back to the Bisharp.

She gave a long sigh, then with a look of concern, turned to Bisharp "Bisharp…have you ever thought that maybe…your friends might leave you?" His face gave a bit of a shocked expression, turning back to look at her "Wh-what do you mean?" "Well…they seemed iffy about me, and they gave a few snobbish looks when we talked…what if they're using you?" she remarked to him, concern still written on her. Bisharp looked up from his seat, his mouth slightly open, deep in thought "B-but…nah they wouldn't…would they? What would they have to benefit?" he worried out.

Gardevoir leaned in close to him, her chest against his arm, head lying on his shoulder. She whispered softly into his ear "Pokémon come here for treasures…and some leave their companions behind to keep it all…what if they're trying to do that with you?" Bisharp slowly began to panic internally, his thoughts flooded with these new ideas. 'What if they are?' he thought, 'Of course they aren't!' shouted another thought.

Gardevoir gave a small smirk, her brows furrowing. She lifted her left hand behind his back, her right gently gracing the side of the Bisharp's face, the Dark-type contemplating her words. A small, pink orb glowed in her hand, the orb ever so slightly growing in size, a faint illumination coming from the materializing Moonblast.

Infernape observed the adjacent room carefully, before noticing a faint glow emanating from the other room. Curious as to what it was, he opened the door, peaking his head in carefully, to see the Bisharp hunched over, utterly distraught in his thoughts, and the Gardevoir beside him, ready to attack. Infernape's eyes angrily glared at her, the Fire-type launching himself at the two other Pokémon, shouting aloud "Bisharp, get AWAY!" The Gardevoir looked up in surprise with a small gasp, unaware the Infernape had been eavesdropping, and hastily fired her Moonblast at the incoming simian.

Infernape, too close to avoid the attack, shielded himself with his arms, the Moonblast's impact launching him back against the door from which he came. He remained plastered against the door momentarily, slowly peeling off and falling with a thump. Bisharp jumped up, snapping out of his confusion at the sound of the impact. He looked around, Infernape lying limp at the doorway, Gardevoir giving an angry look towards where the simian lied. Bisharp gave her a look of bafflement, Gardevoir just noticing his refocusing, and in a panic, she lifted up the table resting next to them with her Psychic, slamming it into the Bisharp against the wall.

Bisharp flew back, impacting against the bed, letting out a small groan at the sudden attack, his body drifting into and out of consciousness. Gardevoir stood up, frantically moving around "No, no, no, it wasn't supposed to be like that, why did that stupid monkey have to jump in?!" She paced back and forth, before freezing—she felt a set of eyes piercing into her very being. The Gallade. She forgot all about him after he had pre-occupied himself with the other room.

She turned around to look at him, dread on her face. She was relatively strong, but she was not fighter; in close quarters like her home, she was bound to receive a beat down. Her hands glowed, her face shaking in nervousness. In the frame of the door stood the haunting Gallade, his arms extended out into blade-like appendages, his arms glowing bright blue, an aura of anger surrounding his form. "I knew it" he spat, growling at the frozen Gardevoir "I knew we couldn't trust you. I warned Bisharp, but he had too much faith in a rotten piece of work like you."

She stepped back, her hands still glowing lightly, stuttering out "Y-you can't pass, I know why you three are here. I won't let you reach that endpoint, we're here to protect the remains of our civilization" she stated with a small tinge of passion in her voice, taking a step forwards. "I don't care if I was deceitful, I have to!" she exclaimed, a Moonblast forming in her hands.

Gallade, unhesitating, dashed himself at her, giving a few blows of a Close Combat to stop her in her wake, sending her skidding across the room. She shrieked, shakily standing back up, forming another Moonblast in her hands. The Gallade sneered "You brought this upon yourself—did you expect for me to simply idle around while those I loved where tricked and attacked?!"

The Gardevoir let out her Moonblast to the other, the Gallade charging at her, his right blade glowing light blue as he pushed a Psycho Cut against the incoming Moonblast. With a bit of push back against him, the Gallade skidded, the Moonblast still pushing against his arm. In one, forceful push, he launched the Moonblast back to her, a Moonblast/Psycho Cut mix directly heading towards her. She shielded herself, giving out a yell of pain as the attack impacted with her.

The Gardevoir became visible once more as the cloud from the impact faded. She remained standing, her body weak, and slowly she fell to her knees. Across the room, Bisharp slowly regained his consciousness, looking at the Gallade in the middle of the room, the Gardevoir kneeling unsteadily towards the end. Gallade slowly approached her menacingly, his hand glowing light blue once more as he prepared to give a final knockout blow. Bisharp stood up weakly, pacing himself quickly to the other side of the room, throwing himself between the Gallade and the Gardevoir, shouting out "No!" as Gallade's hand approached to impact.

Gallade looked at the Bisharp in confusion, his hand immediately losing its glow to avoid impacting his friend. To the side of Bisharp, one of Gardevoir's hands became visible to him, a fist glowing blue as she prepared a Shadow Sneak in one, final attempt at the Gallade. Her hand remained by the Bisharp, suspended in the air close to the Gallade's body. Bisharp turned his head to look to her, a look of sorrow on his face. Her mouth quivered as she looked at the Bisharp in front of him, her hand's glow fading, the battle over.

She looked into the Bisharp's eyes, pain filling her own. "You…you stopped him…after I—" she weakly spoke out to him, her head giving a small drop "But why…why…" Bisharp, himself not fully recovered, gave a small smirk and responded out with a cough "Because I like you, and I know there are two sides to the story…I wouldn't want to see two Pokémon I've come to love fight one another." She looked at him with sadness, then embraced the Dark-type. She looked up at the Gallade behind her, his blades forming back into arms, a scowl still on his face.

She tilted her head down, a small pink glow coming from her being. Small, colorful pink waves began to flow through the air, entering slowly through the bodies of Gallade and Bisharp. In an instant, a warmness overtook their forms, Heal Pulse slowly mending the damage she had done. Bisharp slowly began to stand up, assisting the weak Gardevoir up, her arm extended behind his shoulders.

They walked over to where Infernape lay knocked out, Gallade bending down to give him a few pats against the cheek. "Hey Infernape, wake up, you okay?" Gallade lightly slapped, the Infernape groggily opening his eyes and smacking the hands of the Psychic type away. "What in the blazes are ya doing" he grumbled, looking at the three hovering above him, a bit of fury entering his eyes as he stared down the Gardevoir. In an instant, the similar waves that entered the other two found their way through the Infernape, his form fit and healed in a brief few minutes.

The four once again sat around the table, the room a bit of a mess, but the trio accepting her company once more. She sighed, speaking about her actions "What I did was wrong, I'm beyond sorry, and I am heartily sorry for manipulating your thoughts Bisharp" she stated, a small bow coming from her as she turned to the Dark type. He gave a small blush, shaking his head "Ah it's nothing, don't worry about it," which in turn brought him a few dirty glares from the other two.

She let out a deep sigh once more, giving a small bow of the head to the other two members. "It's been my duty, staying down here, to keep the Star of the Ruins, and a number of other artifacts valuable to our ancient culture, safe and hidden from thieving vandals. It's not often that I see foreign Pokémon, and it's even less frequent for them to understand the sacredness of these grounds. It's been our homes for thousands of years, and they come in and try to destroy it all" she exhaled, looking between the three of them. "It reached the point where even as a young Kirlia, I would simply rely on deception or flat out attack to scare others away. That's why…I did what I did."

Infernape gave a small huff, a small flame coming out of his mouth, then waved her off "Alright, fine. But you do understand why we're still a bit upset." She gave a small nod, looking between Infernape and Gallade, then back to Bisharp. Infernape gave a small chuckle, giving her a sly look "Then again, it is the season for sharing and forgiveness. Soooo I'll let ya off the hook" he joked, giving her a thumbs up.

Gallade gave a small, indignant turn of the head, but slowly opened up an eye and looked back to the other Psychic type. He crossed his arms, tilting his head to the side "Well…if Bisharp has that much trust in you, there is not much I can do" he smirked, taking out two of his fingers, pointing to his eyes, then pointing the fingers back to the Gardevoir "But I've got my eyes on you, I'm watching" he said, severity and tease indistinguishable in his voice.

Genuine time was spent with all four conversing, about the life Gardevoir lived down in the Ruins, about the Team and the reason behind their expedition, before the three Team members stood up to depart. Gardevoir opened up a hidden door to the Team, leading them a distance down a cryptic hall. She looked at the three, giving a small bow "This should lead you all to the area where the Star remains. I would be nervous…" she paused, "but I know with your strength and your hearts, you all deserve it." With that, she departed back, the Team waving and moving on…or so they thought.

After a minute or two of treading down the hall, Gallade touched the shoulder of Bisharp, the Dark type a bit saddened at how things were left off. He turned around to face the other, a somber look on his face, but was met with a smile by the Gallade. He looked at Bisharp, snickering out to him "Someone has been interested in us, or at least you. Surprised you have not noticed them yet." Bisharp squinted his eyes, looking behind the other two Pokémon, where Gallade pointed, and was met with the faint sight of a trailing Gardevoir. She gave a slight eep at the sudden stop of the group, trying to hide against a wall, acting nonchalant as if she had been there all the time. Bisharp approached her, Gardevoir looking down to the ground, her foot tapping nervously.

"Long time no see" chuckled out Bisharp to the nervous Gardevoir, her hand rubbing her opposite arm. He looked to the Team, Infernape giving a thumbs up to the Bisharp, Gallade responding with a roll of the eyes and a subtle nod. Bisharp touched her arm lightly, giving a small smile "Eh…we don't know the Ruins very well…it would be nice if we had, hm, someone helping me out to guide us. I don't know, maybe…" he muttered out, his foot rubbing against the stone floor, "a cute Gardevoir?" She looked up, giving a small, familiar giggle, hugging the Bisharp happily. She gave a nod, following the Dark type back to the group. With that, the army of four marched towards the Star as one.


	10. Chapter 7: The West

_The West_

The trail coming out from the Western path had a similar rocky, natural form the East path harbored. The terrain was mildly jagged, rocks scattered here and there on the route Team Supreme walked down. Scrafty kicked a small pebble to the side, trying to use the flame of the group's lantern to see further down; she was met by the same scenery, simply more darkness and more rocks. Samurott, using the well-placed horn on her helmet as a hold, carried the lantern in front of her, shifting her eyes left and right as she looked around for something, anything that would lead them in the correct direction.

Garchomp, next to Samurott, treaded carefully on the rugged ground, giving a small groan as the minutes passed by slowly. She squinted slightly, taking note of the formation of some figures a way in front of her, and stopped the group. "Think I see something over there, might be useful to help us know where we are" Garchomp mumbled out, the two others focused their eyes to make out the figures Garchomp pointed out. The three carried on, their new target the mysterious looking objects. As the light of the lantern atop Samurott grew closer towards the impending objects, Garchomp gave out a curious look. "It looks…like mining carts? Or, whatever they're called" she spoke out, approaching closer to the silhouetted objects in question.

The three walked up carefully, and sure enough, a mining cart tipped over presented itself to them. A small distance away illustrated to them a long, distant railway, the direction headed down the Western path the trio had followed. "I guess it's a nice find" spoke out Samurott "What do we do with it?" Scrafty gave a small look between the two, scratching her crest "I say we follow where it leads, could bring us closer to the Star."

Garchomp looked between the two, then over to the mine cart. She turned around, using her formidable strength, and lifted up the mining cart onto the tracks, the cart fitting snuggly within the rails. She tapped the side, motioning them on. "Get in; we're going for a ride" she smugly stated, the other two giving her a look of question. "We literally have no idea where it goes, we don't know if the tracks are broken" remarked Samurott. "We might end up worse than where we started" commented Scrafty.

Garchomp shook her head, giving off a smile "We're explorers, we take risks. And I say, this one is a go!" she jolted out, grabbing the two and placing them into the cart. She stood behind them, pushing with force, the cart moving faster and faster, and in one final shove, she jumped in, the cart freely careening down the rail. The landscape gave form to a number of hills, the free-moving cart blistering along the ancient railway, the trio inside giving a few signals of panic, yet enjoyment as well.

The cart dashed along, until a faint glowing in the distance came into view. It seemed like a structure lied at the end of the tracks, illuminated by nearby torches…but more importantly, the cart was moving far too swiftly for the rate they were approaching. Garchomp gave a small sweat as Samurott and Scrafty started to jump to the back of the cart, the Dragon letting out an "Ohhh boy" as the cart slammed into the end, Team Supreme launched off and onto the ground. The three groaned as they lay there, looking between one another. "That was…graceful" mumbled out Samurott, before she gave off a small giggle, the other two joining in. The trio stood up, dusting themselves off, giving their joints a few cracks, then looked up to the structure that rested before them.

Garchomp headed the group into the building through the side. It was a simple area, a large, square-like room lined with stone, sand-colored bricks, torches lining the side of the room. As the three approached inside, walking in towards the middle, a thud was heard. The trio looked around, the entrance they had entered from now no longer there, all points of exit having disappeared. An omniscient voice bellowed out from seemingly nowhere, a large laugh emanating from it "Look what fell into my domain! Guess I'll have some fun before I bring them pain."

The three stood firmly, looking around, unable to see anyone. The laugh continued, the voice calling out to them "It's okay to hide your fear, after all your demise is HERE!" The voice continued on "You better start praying before it's—" before being cut off by Garchomp, speaking out to it "Uh, can you show us the exit?"

A moment of silence filled the room, the voice starting up again "You better start praying befo—" and was then promptly cut off by Samurott, voicing out "We're in the middle of something and really need to get going." The voice began to grumble out, shouting a few words in irritation—until his mumbles were cut off by Scrafty calling out to him "Like, soon? Please?" The voice erupted in anger "YOU BETTER START PRAYING BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE" he wheezed, breathing heavily "Because I'll never show you the gate! Unless, of course, you do these tasks three, and then I shall allow you all to be free!" He gave a small snicker, his voice still audible to them "Little do they know, the genius that I am will NEVER allow them to be free!"

The three rolled their eyes, Garchomp casually muttering out "Please, I've heard more intimidating stuff from a Noivern." The voice, infuriated, hissed back to her "I AM A NOIVERN!" She held in a snicker, the other two following suite. "Well I guess that says a lot about you then" Garchomp taunted out. After a yell of frustration from the Noivern, the trio cracking up, the voice breathed in and out heavily, declaring out "Here's the task I have for you twits, a riddle to test each of your wits."

The voice coughed, a small silence filling the room, before he slowly declared "The thunder comes before the lightning, and the lightning comes before the cloud. The rain dries all the land it touches, wrapping the earth in a blood red shroud. What, am I?" The three looked between themselves, discussing the possibilities. "Thunder before the lightning…but rain that dries the land…it's not a storm" whispered out Samurott. "Thunder could be a placeholder for a loud sound" remarked Scrafty, "But blood red shroud?" Garchomp looked around, giving a simple smile "It's a volcano. The explosion, the pyroclastic flow, and then the lava that 'rains down' and burns everything in its wake. Next" she stated apathetically.

The voice grumbled, booming out in a more rushed manner "They are sometimes on a wall, and sometimes on a shelf. When you look at one, you always see yourself. How about now, huh?"

"See one's self? Wall and shelf? Easy" Scrafty retorted "It's a mirror!" The voice boomed in anger, Samurott and Garchomp giving her a high five in return.

"NO MORE GAMES" bellowed the voice, the subtle in and out of his angst-ridden breathing clearly audible. "The more you take…the more you leave behind…" he hyperventilated, "WHAT AM I?!" Samurott tisked, giving off a swift answer, "Footsteps."

"IMPOSSIBLE" boomed the voice, the being raging about, yelling and shouting, a rumble being heard on the far side of the room. The trio walked towards the area, before the wall shook and broke in the middle, revealing out an enraged, hysterical Noivern, giving out a large grin. "How about one more?!" he cackled, his form betraying the voice that once bellowed, the three giving a withheld smirk as they took note of him. "What is broken, without ever being held?! A PROMISE!" he screeched out, laughing hysterically, answering before the trio could even remark. He took a few steps towards them, pointing to each member "And I PROMISE, I will NEVER let you three out of here, do you hear?!"

Team Supreme simply walked up to him, Garchomp giving him a small pat on the head, and walked around him, proceeding through the hole he had created. The Noivern stood there, breathing up and down as he stared at a now empty room, shaking his head and chasing after them "W-wait! You don't even know where that leads! A-A rematch?!" he cried out after them, the three girls giggling as he pleaded with them on their way to the Star.


	11. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: In the Heavens a Bright Star Shone

It had been approximately seven hours since the teams had left off from the mouth of the cavern, six of those spent inside the depths of the Ruins. The first to arrive at the supposed Ends of the Ruins was Team B.I.G. under the guidance and direction of Gardevoir, the Team elated that the mission was a success, and that they were the first to reach the end. The second to appear was Team Spectre with the help of Roserade, the Team waving to the members of B.I.G., high fiving to each other in celebration of reaching the Ruin's Ends. The final to arrive was Team Supreme, hugging one another at the sight of their destination, Noivern still trying to haggle behind them. The members of Team B.I.G. taunted out to those of Supreme, before the three teams came together in joy of having arrived safely.

The three denizens of the Ruins looked between themselves, familiar to one another, and let out a small laugh. Under different circumstances, the guardians of the Ruins seemed to end up sympathizing with, or of their own according determined to chase down, the Teams that entered their domain. The three were content that these Pokémon were good of heart, explorers willing to not only understand, but come to love the inhabitants of these ancient Ruins.

Celebrations continued on, Team members enjoying the company of one another and the Pokémon of the Ruins, before a slight grumble was heard. The Pokémon stood still, looking cautiously amongst themselves. The grumble grew louder, a small distance off. Gardevoir's eyes opened up, panic overtook her. "N-no…it can't be…we thought they were just statues!" she exclaimed. Roserade looked at her, the same expression coming "But they were! It's all they've ever been!"

Bisharp ran up to Gardevoir, looking at her in confusion "Gardevoir, what's happening, what are these tremors?" She looked to him, then pointed towards the darkness of the Ruin's Ends. In unison, the teams immediately stood up, taking the lanterns they had, and walked towards the noise. In utter shock, the Pokémon stood there, in awe of the statue before them.

Regigigas. Truly, the Colossal Pokémon. And this statue captured it to the smallest detail. Gengar and Garchomp took their lanterns, lighting torches in the nearby space, revealing three more statues in front of it: those of Regirock, Registeel, and Regice. Garchomp turned to the Pokémon of the Ruins, a small bit of sweat coming from her forehead "These are…statues, right? Right?"

Before any Pokémon could respond to her, the seven spots on the middle of the golem's chest stripe began to glow white, before fading. The lights from the spots reappeared, flickering in a random order. The dark spots of the statues upon the three element golems in front of the titanic statue glowed in the same pattern. A voice was heard, seemingly rumbling from the earth, a cry of "R-re-re-reg—" sounding out.

The Pokémon slowly backed up, looking in utter terror. The statues of the element golems began to breath with color, red striking upon the statue of Regirock, gray engulfing that of Registeel, and light blue encompassing that of Regice. The gigantic statue of Regigigas grumbled, the hands slowly opening and closing, what once seemed like clay became a living being.

Regigigas stood tall in his spot, staring down at the Pokémon below him, bellowing out "Who…dares…to enter…this area." The Pokémon in each Team, heart pounding, whispered amongst themselves, whether to flee from the area, to prepare to fight, or to simply surrender. Without hesitation, Garchomp took a step forwards, staring at the four golems in front of her "We are Pokémon from the surface, here to search for the Star. We wish no harm or ill, we simply wish to spread its light with the Pokémon above."

Regigigas stared down at her, his hand slowly moving up, pointing at her. Without warning, Regirock fired off a Hyper Beam at her, Garchomp barely dodging it in the nick of time. The Pokémon gasped, Samurott and Infernape swiftly moving to assist Garchomp. She shrugged them off, shaking her head, and walked back up to where she was originally. Gallade, inspired by her courage, stepped forwards as well, voicing out to the golems "And for what did you do such a hostile action?! We have come under peace, to appreciate what you have made. The Ruins has lost its civilization, let alone these few who have remained, and we simply hope to give the light of this Star to the Pokémon above!"

The Regigigas moved its form back up, roaring out "You are nothing but thieves. We have remained here since ancient times, protecting the Star from all intruders. NO. ONE. IS. TO. HAVE. IT."

The three golems below him pressed their hands together. Regirock grumbled out "Leave this vicinity or we will force you to leave," a yellow-green ball of electricity forming within his hands. "Trespassers will not be tolerated" beeped out Registeel, silver energy intertwined between his fingers. "You are not authorized. You do not have the credentials. Flee" cried out Regice, a light, icy blue beam held in front of him.

Garchomp, unfazed, stepped forwards, shouting out to Regigigas "We aren't going to fight! We didn't come here to vandalize, to steal, to desecrate this civilization." She turned to Gardevoir, speaking out to her "Isn't it true, that the Star can be given to certain Pokémon?" Gardevoir nodded, shakily speaking out "Yes…those Pokémon who are strong of mind, strong of body, and strong of heart! That's the reason we allowed them to come!" she cried out to the Regis.

Garchomp turned back to the golems, giving a slow nod to them. The expeditionary members around held defensive stances, ready to protect one another, yet showed no signs of aggression to the golems.

Garchomp raised her head to them, speaking out somberly "We had wandered these Ruins to search for a Star, that it may give life and new hope to the Pokémon above! This became more than a simple expedition" she spoke, looking from Team member to Team member "This became a time of bonding, of finding new friends, of conquering trial and tribulation. A few of us laughed" she smiled, looking towards her teammates, "A few of us cried." Roserade nodded her head, hugging Gengar close. "But in all, no matter how short, this became an experience like none other, and we wish to share such happiness with the outside world, to shine the Star throughout the surface."

The golems remained still, their lights blinking rapidly. Regigigas raised his hand, the Pokémon underneath giving a gasp as to what might happen, but received an image of the three elemental golems lowering their hands.

Mightyena, of Team Spectre, remained angered, his teeth gnashing as his hair stood up. He knew the golems were going to trick them, he knew this was a plot. He heard from Gallade that Gardevoir deceived Team B.I.G., so why should this be any different? They were going to lure them close and then strike, knocking them out one by one, trapping them forever in the Ruins. He knew it, and he would not back down.

Mightyena watched as Garchomp walked slowly up to the three golems, his heart pounding. The large hand of Regigigas slowly lowered itself to the Garchomp's level. Mightyena panicked. She was going to be crushed in his grip and thrown away, Regigigas was going to strike her down with a blow, he was going to attack them! "NO!" he barked out, firing off a Dark Pulse at the hand of the goliath.

Garchomp jumped away from the blast, staring back astonished by the antics of Mightyena, the Pokémon gasping in fear of not only what Mightyena did, but of what was to happen. "Mightyena!" shouted out Garchomp in anger, backing away from the golems.

Regigigas stood himself back up, yelling aloud "I knew they could not be trusted!" He pointed at the Mightyena, the canine still growling as Regirock, Registeel, and Regice formed their respective moves in their hands, pointing themselves at the Dark type. Garchomp looked between the golems, the Pokémon of the expedition, and Mightyena.

As if time stood still, she witnessed the events around her. She read the panic in the faces of the Pokémon of the Ruins, she noted the hurt in Gengar's face and the shock in Zoroark at their teammate, she saw Team B.I.G. reluctantly taking defensive stances, ready to help out not only themselves, but Mightyena, the one who was the culprit of the sudden hostility.

A ringing in her ears was heard, the deep shout of "ATTACK!" voiced from Regigigas, the moves of the elemental Regis glowing brighter. She looked to her teammates, gave a soft sigh and a small smirk, and in a jet-like motion launched herself in front of Mightyena.

Zap Cannon. Flash Cannon. Ice Beam. Together they crashed against the Dragon, the Garchomp shielding the other Pokémon with her body. The Pokémon all gasped in shock at what happened, Garchomp thrusting herself in front of Mightyena to save him from harm. Her body lied limp against the ground, chest unmoving. The expeditionary Pokémon surrounded her, Bisharp and Samurott rushing right up to her, kneeling down in a frenzy.

Bisharp felt her chest, pushing against her, trying to feel something, trying to bring a pulse back. "Garchomp?" quivered out Samurott, tapping her shoulder lightly, "Garchomp? Please wake up…Garchomp?!" Bisharp began to form tears in his eyes, pushing ever more against her chest, Samurott's eyes watering.

"Garchomp, we know you're a joker, wake up" chuckled out Bisharp, his voice cracking ever so slightly. Gallade rested a hand against Bisharp's shoulder, "Bisharp…she's…" Bisharp glared up at him, his face dripping tears as he continued to press. Samurott broke down next to the Dragon type's limp body, her sniffling heard throughout the area. "N-no" Scrafty gasped, holding onto Infernape's leg, crying softly as the simian held her close.

Gengar, leader of Team Spectre, looked upon a shocked Mightyena, the canine breathing up and down as if the impact engulfed him instead. Gengar scowled at him, his eyes swelling "Is this what you wanted?"

The three Regis looked at one another, lights flashing vibrantly. "Wrong…wrong…target" voiced out Regirock. "But…But our attacks….they were aimed at…" tried to reason Registeel. "I did not mean…It was not supposed to…My attack was…I…I…I…" broke down Regice. The three golems began to slow in movement, speech growing deeper, as if despair had caused them to power down. The three golems stood still, their lights off, a low, silent "F…o…r…g…i…v…e….u…s…." emanating from their frozen bodies.

Mightyena, his mouth open, breathing in and out with a wheeze, looked to the scenery before him. Garchomp lay limp, the Pokémon he had once loved surrounding her body, tears lightly falling against the floor. He looked up to Regigigas, the colossal golem still functioning, and pleaded out with him "Please…I never meant for this to happen…I just feared that…p-please!" he shouted.

The Mightyena broke down, letting out pained, tormented cries. He looked to the body, to his friends, to the golem, choking out "I just wanted to keep us safe…I never meant for this to happen! Please, take me instead!" he shouted, pleading for the life in Garchomp to return. "Forgive me Garchomp" he whimpered out, his heart and body broken.

Regigigas looked down upon the heart-broken Pokémon; even his golems lay in mourning. The colossal Pokémon stood up firmly, turning around, the movement of his feet shaking the earth. He reached onto the wall behind his resting point, placing a hand against it. A glowing yellow revealed itself to his touch, a small, golden star slowly moving from the interior of the wall to the outside, its shine brightening up the Ruin's Ends.

He held both his hands out, the Star floating above them, then lowered his hands a few meters above the body of Garchomp. Light from the Star began to flow into the Dragon, the giant voicing out "Let the light of the Star spill into the hearts of these brave Pokémon." The Pokémon sniffed, coughs coming out as they watched the light illuminate into the being of Garchomp.

"Though they may not be completely pure, and though they have their flaws, the compassion and love they have shown brings me to have second thoughts" boomed the giant. The light continued to seep in, and in a minute, subtle sound, a cough emerged from Garchomp. The Pokémon surrounded her, Samurott and Bisharp close by, holding onto her, giving out a soft "G-Garchomp?"

The Dragon opened her eyes, blinking them softly, looking around to the mass of Pokémon, tears and smiles forming on each of them. "Huh…I'm guessing I missed out on something" she croaked, immediately receiving a flurry of hugs and embrace. The three golems slowly came back to life, turning towards their leader, Regigigas looking down with a faint, rare chuckle "The Star will have a proper home, and it will be with these Pokémon."


	12. Chapter 9: The End

Chapter 9: The First Noël

And such, the tale of the quest for the Star, the story a group of tenacious Pokémon, heart-high, head filled with glee, came to a close. The three groups formed together to assist Garchomp, Star granted to them by the guardians and golems of the Ruins. The three guardians, distraught on what course to take, received approval from Regigigas to leave the ancient Ruins and be with those they had come to admire and love.

The four golems returned back to their resting spots, vowing to protect the Ruins for as long as time allotted, their forms turning back into the statues they were familiar with for millennia.

Upon returning back to the mouth of the cave, Garchomp of the Mansion, having awaited their return for a solid half day, gasped in fear of what had become to his fellow Pokémon. He called for all the assistance possible, helping carry off Miss Garchomp back to the hut, then to the Mansion.

The return of the expeditionary crew was already to be celebrated, but the presence of the Star made celebrations all the more exhilarant. The Teams and guardians of the Ruins were deemed heroes throughout not only the Mansion, but the nearby town and villages, their discovery bringing not only knowledge of ancestors long gone, but new life throughout everyone as the Star shined in their presence.

The guardians soon became a part of the Mansions household, slowly becoming acquainted with the life of the surface, sharing laughter and love with those they had come to know.

December 25th. Christmas. Bisharp, in common manner, frantically woke up Infernape, the simian angrily ready to pounce on him. To his surprise though, he was beaten to it when Gardevoir gave a slow glare to the Dark/Steel type, the Bisharp giving a small eepish "Sorry" to the Infernape. The Infernape gave a laugh, hugging the two of them as they made their way downstairs to the Mansion's entrance.

Pokémon from all around the Mansion and the town gathered to see the momentous occasion. Raichu, standing by the 10 meter high Christmas tree, elaborately decorated, shining brightly, proclaimed for the Star to be placed atop in holiday tradition, as for everyone to be under its shining, wonderful illumination.

Miss Garchomp, having fully recovered from the injuries she acquired a few days back, precariously was lifted up by a number of Pokémon. In one, subtle motion, she perched the Star atop the tree, the Mansion filled with cheers. She was lowered, the embrace of her friends, her family overtaking her, a soft giggle escaping her lips.

The Star shined brightly throughout the remained of the day as Pokémon shared gifts, food, and love between one another. Townspeople and Pokémon far and wide came to witness the Star, its beauty filling them with happiness and joy. And thus, the Pokémon of not only the Mansion, but all the Pokémon of our tale, received the best Christmas anyone could wish for, under the light of the new Star.

Fin.


End file.
